2016B Day 21: LAN tries to “help”

The MagAO team has made it to Tucson in time for Thanksgiving! And the Gemini Planet Imager team travels seem to be going well too — We ran into Jenny Patience, Julien Rameau, and Ben Gerard of GPIES at the La Serena airport, who were just coming off a 6-night GPI run. Our La Serena-Santiago flight on LAN was delayed by about an hour and a half, but Jenny made her on-time SKY flight, and Julien was staying an extra night in Santiago. Laird, Jared, Ben, and I met up with about 3 others who were all headed to the Santiago-Dallas flight, which at that point was a very tight connection. LAN staff met us as we deplaned in Santiago and had us all wait until we were all together — they they escorted us through the airport. We thought they would escort us to the front of the security line or something — but they just deposited us at the back of the line, saving us no time, and having made the people who got off the plane first wait for those of us who got off the plane last. Jared, Laird, and I barely made the Dallas flight, but LAN didn’t actually have the plane wait for us or do anything to help speed us through the airport. Update: Ben made it on the LAX flight, good! Well, I’m writing this post with the benefit of airport wi-fi which works better than the wi-fi in Jared’s room, so I can include lots of pictures and a more melodious song of the day as we say goodbye to LCO for 2016:

Clio is parked away

Some fog on the last morning

The last supper and breakfast at LCO for MagAO in 2016

The late LAN flight from La Serena

Laird and I bringing up his luggage from our far-away down-hill rooms

Gary posed for some parting shots

Grumpy basking in a sunbeam

Vizzy enjoying a sunset

Quote of the day:
“I’m afraid this is the beginning of a very dark time for us all.” –Laird, panicking that we might miss our flight the day before Thanksgiving.